


Fallen Kingdom

by Scarlet_Hawk



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Dream Team - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Amnesia, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, BadBoyHalo is a Good Friend, Based on a CaptainSparklez Music Video Series, Dream Is an Orphan, Dream has PTSD, Eventual Happy Ending, Fallen Kingdom (Minecraft), Fluff, Gen, George is a good friend, Good Friend Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Herobrine is a Butthead, Hurt/Comfort, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minecraft, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prophecy, Repressed Memories, Some Humor, dream team, dreamnotfound, relationships are not the main focus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27872277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet_Hawk/pseuds/Scarlet_Hawk
Summary: Dream has no idea who he is, or where he came from. When he was young, he went through a traumatic experience that caused him to subconsciously repress his memories, and no one will give him an answer. He was taken in by a nearby village, where he met his best friends Bad, Sapnap, and George. One day, Sapnap and George discover a cave in a nearby oasis.What they find inside will change their fate forever.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 64





	1. The Cave

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! This is my first Dream Team fic, and it's my first time actually writing something serious in a LONG time! I don't mind if you share this with CC's, just please don't repost it anywhere and if you do share it, give credit to this account <3 I should be posting about once or twice a week, so subscribe to the story if you like it so you don't miss any updates! This is set out to be a long journey, so buckle up, we're going in!

Clay clutched onto his mother’s shoulder as she ran through the castle halls, her breathing labored and frantic. Monsters had begun infiltrating the castle, huge hordes of them that even his father couldn’t hold off.   
To their horror, his mother slipped and ended up on the ground, Clay clutched to her chest. Zombie groans could be heard from around the corner, quickly gaining on them as they laid on the ground. One turned the corner, and Clay couldn’t tear his eyes away. It was hideous, half of its face seemingly melted off. The smell of rotting flesh and burning wood permeated the air, turning his stomach.   
“Mommy, get up!” He cried, shaking her. She pulled herself up and grabbed little Clay’s hand, limping as she continued to lead him down the hall.   
“It’ll be okay, Clay. You’re going to be okay. Your father said he would meet us here… He should be here any moment.”  
The sound of a sword cutting through rotten flesh was heard, and Clay’s father rounded the corner, running at them both. “We have to go! The panic room!” He called. Clay had never seen his father in such disarray. His beard was messy and full of cinders, his eyes and face were wild, his skin and clothes were covered in soot from the fires and his robe was in tatters. Instead of the crown he proudly wore, he’d donned an iron helmet.   
His father ran past and began guiding him and his mother through the halls, careful to mind his mother’s limp. She seemed to be getting better by the second, but it still wasn’t fast enough.  
The three of them ran out onto the bridge, only to be confronted by two creepers. Both turned to glare menacingly at them, and began their approach. His father tried to lead them past…  
Time seemed to slow down as white cracks began showing up on the creeper’s body. When the first crack split, his mother’s arm came to cover his face, and Clay saw nothing but white.  
Then there was nothing.

Dream lifts himself out of his bed, holding his head in his hands. Every night he has that damn nightmare, and every night it haunts him. Who is Clay? Who are the people posing as Clay’s mother and father? No one in the village wants to give him an answer.  
He stands and stretches, his bones popping and cracking as his body adjusts. A knock is heard at the door, and he turns his attention to it. “Come in,” he says, reaching for his signature green hoodie.   
The door opens, and his friend Sapnap is standing there, a wild grin on his face. “Dream. You’ve gotta see this man, George and I found this huge cave in the oasis.”   
Dream gives a wide grin and grabs his sword, just in case. “I’m in. George getting Bad?” Sapnap nods and Dream follows him out of the house, shutting the door tight behind them. It’s been 12 years since this village took him in, and he’s still in awe every morning when he looks at the view of the sunrise over the hills. The explorers said that they’d found him along and scared in the woods when he was just a kid, covered in soot and superficial burns. No one will tell him anything else, and he doesn’t remember anything from back then anyway. All he knows is he went through something traumatic and lived to tell the tale, thanks to the kindness of the villagers.  
“You getting nostalgic over there man?” Sapnap grins and motions over his shoulder towards George and Bad, who are waiting at the end of the path. Both have swords, and Bad has a map. Dream gives a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I’m coming.” He makes his way down the path after Sapnap, sheathing his sword.   
“You guys ready for an adventure?” George asks, placing a hand on his hip.   
Bad and Dream look at each other. Knowing George and Sapnap, they were bound to get into some kind of trouble. Dream smirks.  
“You’re on.”  
“Hell yeah boys, let’s go!” Bad freezes and looks toward Sapnap with a cold stare. “LANGUAGE, SAPNAP!”

“Alright boys… Here it is. Welcome to paradise!” Sapnap pulls aside a curtain of thick vines and lichen, revealing a sandstone cave full of paintings and wall carvings. In the center of the room is a cartography table with a map, leading from what looks like the cave to a large castle in the mountains.  
“Wow… How the hell did you guys find this place?” Dream stepped into the cave, marvelling at the works of art covering the walls. “It’s beautiful.”  
“Ha- about that- Sapnap fell into it when we were looking for cocoa beans earlier.” George snickered, covering his mouth.   
“LISTEN it wasn’t my fault okay, how was I supposed to know that the sand was unstable, we were literally on the beach, George!” The pair of them continued bickering back and forth, Bad occasionally correcting them with a “language” when their banter got just a little too out of hand. Dream instead turned his attention to the map on the table, gently picking it up so as not to damage it. The castle looked to be enormous, and surrounded by a lake of lava large enough to swallow three full villages.   
And right above the castle on the map is an image that sends a chill right down his spine. Herobrine.  
“Dream!” George’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts, and the hand on his shoulder brings him completely out of his stupor. “Are you okay? We’ve been trying to talk to you for the past like five minutes.” The brunet offers a concerned smile, peering up at him. Dream quickly rolls up the map and shoves it in his hoodie pocket.   
“Yeah, fine… Just thinking, is all. I’m not fully here today, I had that nightmare again…” He gives a tired grin to try and play it off. George gives him a knowing look, and Dream finds himself dreading the hours to come.  
“Hey guys! I think I found a decoder for all of this text on the walls!” Bad calls, motioning for them to join him. The pair of them and Sapnap group up with Bad again, who’s hard at work decoding the ancient language. It looks to be a prophecy, depicting an orphaned boy dressed in green.   
“Holy shit-” “LANGUAGE,” “Dream, this looks like you.” Sapnap turns to look up at him and Dream closes his eyes. “Do you think..?”  
Behind his eyes, the face of Herobrine makes itself known, cackling and peering at him with those menacing white eyes. He snaps back to the moment and shakes his head, taking a step back.   
“No. I can’t.” He turns and holds his head in his hands. “I don’t even know what happened to me, how can someone I’ve never met know that I’m supposed to do this? How can someone just say that a random orphaned kid is supposed to take down Herobrine, just- no.” He holds himself, looking down. All he can think about now is that face, that god-awful face from his nightmares that just sits there, taunting him from the outside while Clay’s family is ripped to tatters.   
Footsteps can be heard from the entrance of the cave, and the group of four turns to look. Standing at the mouth of the cave, holding up the curtain of vines, is the town elder.  
“Dream. It’s time we had a talk. About what happened to you.”


	2. Clay

Once they’d made it back to the village, Dream had followed the village elder into the library, where they now sit. He couldn’t sit still, his leg bouncing repetitively to try and contain some of his pent up energy.   
“Calm yourself. You’ll need a clear head.” The elder speaks, bringing a cup of warm tea from the back room. He passes the cup to Dream, who takes a small sip to try and calm his frayed nerves.  
“Sorry, elder… It’s just- My whole life I’ve been here, not knowing what brought me here or why I have these scars on my body. All I was left with is a recurring nightmare that I can’t crack.”  
“That’s not a nightmare, son. It’s your memory.”   
Dream’s world suddenly came crashing down around him. His memory?   
“Elder… You know I respect you immensely and I see you as the family I never had. But I don’t understand. My memory? How could that possibly be my memory?” Dread pools in his stomach as the elder gives him a grim look.  
“We’ve been trying to keep it from you so you could grow and move on as normally as you could. I hope you can understand that, Dream. You are not from here, you’ve always known that, but we’ve grown to care about you as though you were. However, now that you’re older, I must tell you the truth. You are the son of a king, Clay.”  
And just like that Dream feels like the scared little kid that haunts his nightmares. He’s Clay. Clay, Clay, Clay. His name repeats in his head as he’s suddenly taken back to his dream. The feeling of his mother clutching him to her chest. The panic and disgust that ran through him at the sight of the zombie rounding the corner, the smell of rotting flesh invading his nose and mouth. The feeling of impending doom as time slowed to a near halt, and those glowing cracks ripped themselves through the skin of the creeper that blew his mother to shreds.  
He remembers now. Waking up after all of that, seeing his mother on the ground with torn and half eaten flesh. He remembers the feeling of absolute despair and desperation coursing through him as he wrestled his way out of her arms.   
But nothing compares to the absolute emptiness he felt when he looked out upon the rest of the world. The whole castle had been reduced to rubble, smoke still rising from the final embers burning away at what his life used to be. Nothing could compare to the numbness he felt when he realized he’d lost everything. And yet the sun still shone bright in the sky, offering the promise of what would have been a beautiful day to go fishing with his father.  
That bittersweet moment is now engraved in his mind. Clay. The poor prince that lost everything.  
When he comes out of it he’s lying on a bed that’s not his. The village elder is sitting across from him with a book, and there is another cup of tea on the bedside table. He slowly sits up and takes a sip.  
“Easy, boy. You’ve had a rough couple of hours… You passed out and I brought you in here. How do you feel?” The elder turns to look at him, concern etched into his features.   
Dream shakes his head. “Awful. I still… There’s still a disconnect, for me. It doesn’t feel real.” He puts his head in his hands and takes a deep, shaky breath. “I’m the fallen prince.”   
The elder nods and stands, coming over to carefully place a hand on his shoulder. “Tell me, Dream. Do you want to fulfill your destiny?” Dream turns to look at him, an incredulous expression on his face. “My destiny?”  
“The prophecy you boys found in that cave. A fallen prince is destined to end Herobrine, once and for all…”  
“Hold on. I just had the biggest mindfuck of my life and you’re trying to get me to fulfill some kind of prophecy? At least give me a little time to process and grieve, damn!” He pulls away from the elder’s hand and stands, wobbly at first. He makes to leave, then pauses in the doorway.  
If he took out Herobrine… He’d get revenge for everything that he lost. Everything that anyone had ever lost in this mad world.  
“... Let me think about it.” He says, then walks out the door.

When he gets back to his house, George, Bad and Sapnap are waiting for him, sitting in a circle. They turn to look at him as he walks in and George stands, rushing at him for a hug.  
“Dream! Are you okay? You’ve been gone for hours..” Sapnap asks, standing.   
Dream smiles tiredly and returns George’s hug. He’s glad that he doesn’t have to be alone right now. “I’m… I’m not okay, honestly. My head is really scrambled and I can’t get over this huge disconnect… Did you guys know?”   
The three of them shake their heads. “We were just told right after you went into the library…” Bad speaks up. “Do you wanna talk about it?”  
Dream shakes his head. “I don’t want to think about it right now. We can talk about it tomorrow, just… Can you guys stay the night? I don’t want to be alone.”  
George pulls away and looks to Bad and Sapnap, who look back and forth. A grin breaks out between the three of them.  
“Dream team sleepover!” Sapnap shouts, running to the closet and grabbing the extra pillows that Dream keeps there in case of nights like this.

Dream, Sapnap, Bad and George are spread out in a circle on Dream’s roof, looking up at the stars. There’s a contained campfire in the center to keep them warm, as it’s just starting to get chilly in the valley. The conversation is light, and Dream feels himself start to relax more and more as the night continues on. George turns to him.  
“What happened in the cave earlier, Dream..?” He asks quietly. Sapnap and Bad are joking back and forth about sheep, not at all listening to their conversation. Dream turns his head to face George.  
“I had a flashback, of sorts. In the cave the dots hadn’t been connected yet, but when I saw the face on it I couldn’t help but tense up… I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow with the whole prince thing, but that’s why I was spaced out.”  
George nods and turns fully on his side to face him. “That’s understandable. You’ve gone through a lot, after all… Just know that I’m here for you whenever you need. We all are. Okay?”  
Dream gives a soft smile and a nod in response. “I know.”  
Sapnap barks out a particularly loud laugh and the pair of them tune back into the conversation at hand.  
“Bad, sheep aren’t naturally pink! You must’ve been tripping on something-”  
“I wasn’t, I swear!! The sheep was actually pink, I don’t know if someone dyed it and just left or what, but the SHEEP was PINK!” Bad defends himself, his voice rising in pitch.  
“Geez Bad, sounds like you ate too many mushrooms.” Dream chimes in, and everyone busts into laughter.  
It’s not long before everyone’s settled down, and Dream takes a final look at the stars, counting them in his head. He falls asleep like that, content in knowing that he won’t be alone tonight.


	3. Let the Training Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So turns out I enjoy writing this story more than dealing with my life soooo I may be updating it a lot more than I originally planned to! Either way, enjoy this next chapter! <3

Dream didn’t have any nightmares that night. Instead, he was taken back into his childhood, reliving the days of a crown prince. His life as Clay.   
When he wakes, his face carries the stains of dried tears. He’s the first of the group to wake, so it’s quiet. The only sound that can be heard is the chirping of the birds as they awake from their slumber. He turns to look at their little campsite. The fire that had been so bright the night before is now nothing more than a couple pieces of char in a pot, smoke still rising off of them. The sun is rising in the east, casting its light over everything and warming the land.  
All in all, it’s a beautiful morning. Looks like it’ll be a nice day all around.  
Dream rubs his face and lies back down, staring up at the sky. Everything that he learned yesterday runs through his mind, and he tries to make some sense of it.   
It’s not long before the others wake and they pack up, heading back inside. Dream sits on his bed, the others finding chairs and everything while George bakes some bread for breakfast.  
“So, Dream… You wanna talk?” Sapnap offers, giving him a smile. “You look like you slept a little better.”  
Dream nods. “I did… I didn’t have the nightmare. Instead I went back and relived my time as a prince… It still doesn’t fully register that the life I’m seeing in my dreams is the life I used to have.”   
Once the bread is ready, everyone gathers around to listen to Dream tell his story.  
“When I was about five or six, I think, anyway, my castle came under siege. Herobrine opened up a bunch of portals and let in monsters of all types, from zombies to skeletons to creepers.” He tells his story to his friends, now that he has a better idea of what exactly happened.  
“Some pieces are still missing, I don’t know what happened to my father after all of that… But I’m glad that I ended up here. You guys mean everything to me.”  
All three of his friends practically melt at the sentiment.  
“Guys… Group hug?” Bad suggests, giving everyone the puppy eyes.   
Without another word, everyone moves in together and drapes their arms around each other in a circle. Dream feels as though he could start crying. His friends love him… Even if he is an orphaned prince.  
“... Hey guys? I have a question.”

Dream stands in front of the library, ready to speak to the elder again. His friends stand behind him, the energy between the four of them tense.  
The elder comes to the door, a sparkle in his eye. “Dream. Have you come to a decision?”  
“I have… But I have some conditions.”  
The elder nods and motions all of them inside. “Let’s speak more about this inside.”  
The four of them file in and each take a seat, gathering around the elder’s reclining chair.  
“So, what conditions do you have, Dream?” He smiles at the blond, folding his hands in his lap.  
“If I go on this quest, my friends go with me. And we need to be trained.”   
The elder smiled. “If that’s all, then you have yourself a deal. I’ll be training the four of you… Right now you’re just children, so you won’t be leaving anytime soon, but with continued training and growth as a team, by the time you DO leave, you’ll be unstoppable.”  
The four of them turn to each other, grins on all of their faces, and Dream can’t help but feel just a little lighter about this whole thing.  
“Alright then. We’re in. When does training start?” Sapnap asks, excited.  
The elder smirks. “Tomorrow, at dawn.”  
Sapnap suddenly doesn’t look so excited.

At dawn the next morning, the Dream team is gathered at the entrance to the village, waiting for the elder to bring them to the training site.   
Suddenly, a voice behind them calls their attention. “Well? You coming?”  
They turn to the woods to find that the elder was waiting for them in the brush the whole time.   
“Yes sir!” The group of friends set out to follow him into the woods, careful to avoid the thorns in the bushes.   
As they walk, the five of them are silent. It’s early morning and quiet, and no one really has the energy to strike up any sort of engaging conversation. Dream finds himself lost in his thoughts. He’s only sixteen, and yet his whole life has been nothing but stress and worry. Among the mass of dirty blonde hair on his head resides more than a few grey hairs, mostly due to his lack of sleep. If you catch him while he’s staring off into space, you’ll notice that his face looks just a little more sullen when he’s not putting on a happy mask.   
“Dream?” A voice pulls him out of his head and he turns to look at the source. Bad is looking at him, a question on his tongue. “You lost again?” Dream lets out a heavy sigh and nods.   
“Yeah. It’s finally starting to really click that this is my life… I’m Clay.”  
“Well, Clay, you’ve got a long road ahead of you, and we’ll be right here next to you.” Sapnap jumps in, smiling.  
Dream pauses for a moment.  
“... Okay no don’t call me Clay it’s still weird.” All of them start cracking up, Dream letting a genuine smile cross his face.  
It’s not long before they reach a large clearing in the woods, the ground covered in a layer of sand.   
“We’re here. We’ll train here every day until you four develop the skills to take on this journey… And as long as you’re training with me, you call me master Amycus. No more “elder”, understand?” The man turned to face the four of them, a challenging gleam in his eyes.  
“Understood, master Amycus.” Dream responds, and the other three stand tall and straight, no longer hunched over from the long walk.  
Amycus grins and sets down his pack, pulling out four dull wooden swords. “Each of you take one and try to defeat me. All of you at once.”  
The four of them look between each other, unsure. The four of them against one old man who’s unarmed..? It doesn’t seem completely fair.  
“Or, if you don’t want to gang up against an old, unarmed man, you could have just one go against me first. I’ll show you why I’m so well-respected around the village.”  
“I’ll take you on,” Sapnap grins. “How hard can it be, right?” He takes a wooden sword and the pair of them take their positions opposite each other in the sand, Dream, Bad and George moving to the sidelines.  
“I’ll go easy on you, promise.” Sapnap twirls the sword before getting into position.  
“Why thank you, Sapnap. I appreciate it.” Amycus stands tall and pin straight, his hands folder in his sleeves. “Dream, my dear boy, would you mind counting us off?”   
Dream feels apprehension turn in his abdomen as he readies to count.  
“Alright, spar beginning in three… Two… One…”   
Sapnap lurches forward and within the blink of an eye is wheezing on the ground, his wooden sword planted firmly in the sand. It appears that Amycus hadn’t lifted a single finger, even though Sapnap is so thoroughly affected.   
Amycus turns to the other boys with a smirk. “Well?”  
And so begins their training.


	4. Resilience

It’s been a month since the Dream team began their training with master Amycus, and the progress is already showing.   
Dream’s recently discovered that he prefers fighting with axes over swords, but is decently suited for both.  
George has found that he’s a natural with a bow, and Amycus gifted him one made from birch.   
Sapnap and Bad are both fans of the classic sword, and have upgraded from dull wood to stone to give them both more experience with weighted objects.  
Sapnap has also taken a liking to wayfinding, often acing master Amycus’ navigational tests with ease while the others struggled to keep up.  
“You boys have improved a lot in your own ways. It seems as though you’ve all found your niche. Good. Every one of you holds a skill that is absolutely essential in this endeavor. Hone those skills and work to balance out your weaknesses.”  
All of them nod, offering each other smiles.  
“Now. For today’s training, you’ll be pinned against each other. I’ll assign two brackets, the winners of those will spar a final time… And the final winner will be the first to go up against monsters tonight. You all will get your chance, don’t worry. But the winner gets a head start.”   
Dream feels anxiety pool in his stomach. This will be his first time really seeing monsters since he was a child… And his last experience wasn’t exactly pleasant. This would be the first step into retaking his life.  
It almost doesn’t feel real.  
“Alright. Dream and Sapnap, you two are paired up, which leaves George and Bad in a pair. George and Bad are going first.” Master Amycus moves to take a seat by Dream and Sapnap. “I’ll be watching from the sidelines. Do me proud… But please don’t kill each other.”   
The four teens laugh as Bad and George take their places in the clearing, Sapnap scooting a little closer to Dream to give Amycus plenty of room to sit and observe from a good angle.  
“You ready George? I’m not holdin’ back on you.” Bad smirks, bringing his sword in front of him. Both of them have wooden swords, so no one is at a particular disadvantage.  
George grins and pushes his goggles up on top of his head. “I’m not holding back either, Bad. I’m in it to win.”  
Amycus smiles and crosses his arms.   
“Alright young’uns. To win, one of you has to disarm the other. On my mark… Ready?” The pair of teens get into their respective stances.  
“Begin!”  
Bad and George run at each other, swords clashing as they meet in the middle. Dream finds himself mesmerized by their movements. It’s only been a month, and yet both of them have improved so much. Bad’s movements are clearly more fluid compared to George’s, simply because George is better suited to a bow, but George is fast, dodging and evading Bad’s swipes. It’s an interesting match, to say the least.  
Bad cuts close to George’s side, nearly knocking the sword from his hand, but George maneuvers out of the way, using the flat of his blade to loosen Bad’s grip. George sees the opportunity and takes it, moving in and dealing a well-placed kick to Bad’s wrist, causing him to drop the sword.  
George has won this match.  
Amycus stands and collects both swords. “Well done, both of you. Take your seats, get some water. Dream and Sapnap, you’re next.”  
The pair of them stand, and Dream feels his stomach turn. If he wins this he’ll be sparring George, and if he wins against George… He’ll be the first to face the hordes.  
“Hey, don’t freak out too much about it man.” Sapnap pats his shoulder. “Master Amycus isn’t gonna let any of us fail, even if we don’t win today. Especially not you.”  
Dream grins and pats his hand. “Thanks, Sapnap… Now you gotta go down.”  
Sapnap laughs and takes his spot at the opposite end of the clearing, bending his knees and holding his sword out in front of him with both hands.   
Dream leans back on his right foot, his sword in the same hand. This way it’s easier for him to sidestep, should Sapnap choose to charge first like his stance indicates.  
“Ready?” Amycus looks between the two. The energy here seems a bit more charged compared to Bad and George. This will be an interesting match.  
Dream takes a deep breath and focuses in on Sapnap, analyzing every little detail about his stance. He notices the nervous quirk in his eyebrow. He actually wants to win this.  
Well, so does Dream.  
“BEGIN!”  
Just like he thought, Sapnap charges first, looking to take him by surprise.  
What he didn’t expect though, is just how fast Sapnap is.  
There’s no time for him to sidestep, so instead he brings up his blade and blocks the strike, his left hand coming to support the block on the flat of the blade.  
“Am I going down, Dream?” Sapnap smirks, pushing down harder.  
Dream grits his teeth and lunges forward, swiping his foot under Sapnap and throwing him off balance.   
He doesn’t drop the sword, though.  
It goes on like this for a while, this game of cat and mouse. Sapnap will lunge, Dream will block and evade.  
He’s looking for an opening in his opponent’s fighting style.  
“Oh come on Dream, you haven’t even attacked me once!” Sapnap rushes forward again, sweat beginning to form on his forehead.  
There it is. Time seems to slow as Sapnap approaches, and Dream takes the chance. He ducks below the range of Sapnap’s swing, using the hilt of his blade to deal a blow to the back of his knee.  
And it works. Sapnap tumbles to the ground after losing his balance, and Dream is right there on top of him again, the tip of his blade aimed at his throat.  
Sapnap’s sword is on the ground a few feet away.  
Dream’s breathing is heavy and he’s practically dripping sweat. “I believe that means I win, Sappy.” He smirks, and Sapnap groans, dropping his head to the sand.  
“Well done! Sapnap, come take your seat on the bench, get some water. George and Dream, get some water and get ready. This will be the final match of the day, then we’ll return to the village so you can rest before tonight.”  
Dream pulls his blade away and extends a hand to help up his friend, a smile on his face. “Come on.”  
Sapnap pauses before letting out a huff of a laugh and taking his hand, letting Dream help him up. “Good match. I totally didn’t expect you to go between my legs like that, that was ballsy.” Dream nods.  
“You tend to rely too much on your right leg. That makes it an easy target, since you put so much weight on it it’s easy to knock you down if I target that knee.”  
Sapnap blinks, then laughs. “Geez Dream, I knew you had a big brain rollin’ around in that thick skull of yours somewhere!” Sapnap claps him on the back, then moves to walk to the bench.  
Dream grabs his water bottle and takes a large drink, hydrating himself before this match. George is at a little bit more of an advantage here, seeing as he’s had more time to rest.  
Then again… Dream has the adrenaline rush still going for him.  
“You ready, Dream?” George smirks, a gleam in his eye.  
Dream laughs a bit. “Oh come on now George, when am I not ready?” He meets his gaze with no issue, challenging him. George holds eye contact for a moment, before Amycus breaks their concentration.  
“Alright boys, it’s time. Come get your swords.” The pair of them move back towards the group and take their swords from Amycus before heading back into the clearing.  
This… Feels different. Whereas sparring with Sapnap felt charged in the way that he had to anticipate every move and go on the defensive, with George Dream is leaning more towards the offense. He wants to challenge and push George, and it seems that George feels the same way about this match.  
“Ready?” Dream and George shift into their stances, eyes locked as though they could win simply by keeping eye contact.  
“BEGIN!”


	5. Prepare

Without wasting even a millisecond, both boys are lunging at each other, clearing the space in seconds. Sand flies out from beneath them as they rush and meet in the middle, swords clacking together in a lock.  
They can hear Bad and Sapnap making comments in the background, but don’t care enough to listen. Amycus is silent, studying the both of them.  
Dream is very quickly realizing that George is a slippery bastard and a hard target, always moving about to keep Dream on his toes.  
“What’s wrong Dreamy? Can’t keep up?” The taunt in his voice is prominent, and Dream can’t help but feel both irritated and gleeful. This is fun.  
Dream finally catches an opening on his left when George stumbles. It’s only slight, but it gives him just enough time to pin him in place and go on the offensive, pressuring him towards the edge of the clearing.  
What he doesn’t account for is the height difference. George is quite a bit shorter than him, making it hard to use the same trick he used on Sapnap.   
George is expecting it, anyhow. His weight is almost perfectly balanced, meaning he can shift at any moment and instead turn Dream’s trick on himself. He can’t use it here.  
George ducks under his arm and moves behind him, and Dream finds himself attacking nothing but air. George uses this moment to plant his foot firmly in Dream’s lower back, pushing him to the ground.  
He doesn’t drop the sword. Dream quickly twists onto his back, meeting George’s blade on the downstroke with the same block he used on Sapnap. He’s running out of options here.  
George continues to push down on him, and Dream finds himself desperate. He wants to win. He wants to be the first out in the field, bringing an end to the monsters that took his family. He wants to fight with a real blade, feel it cut through something that isn’t sand in a burlap bag.  
He brings his knee up just enough to get between himself and his opponent on top of him, and pushes forward into his chest with it, knocking the breath out of him.  
While he’s winded, Dream takes his chance and turns the tables, pinning George to the ground with his knee in between his shoulder blades to keep him pinned there. He struggles for a moment, looking for any way to escape.  
“Let go of the sword, George. You’re done.”  
George stills, then lets his finger relax around the hilt of his sword. Dream takes it and gets up, showing off both swords to Amycus.  
“Dream wins the final match. He’ll be the first in the field tonight.”  
Dream suddenly feels a wave of exhaustion as the adrenaline finally leaves his body. It’s over. He did it. He can rest.  
George pushes himself up and claps Dream on the shoulder.  
“That was a dirty trick… But I can’t say I’m not impressed.” He smiles. “Let’s get some water, we still have to walk back to the village.”  
Dream lets out a groan at the realization.

Once they got back home, they spent the few hours before nightfall relaxing and preparing themselves for the night ahead. Amycus went to the blacksmith to ensure that their armor and weapons would be ready.  
Dream shivers at the thought. Tonight he’ll be wearing real armor, using a real sword to take down the monsters that often roam the fields outside the village at night. The majority of them burn in the daytime, so they don’t see many when the sun is up, but occasionally the iron golem will kill a spider or a stray skeleton that has some sort of armor on to protect it from the sun.  
Dream can handle spiders and skeletons. Spiders are small and easy targets, and skeletons have such bad aim that they can’t hit anything within a 2 meter radius.  
What Dream is afraid of is the creepers. A creeper took his mother away and caused him to lose the majority of his memory. Creepers blew up the entirety of his home, leaving nothing but a pile of burning ashes and rubble.   
A single explosion from a creeper can kill a man if he’s even one foot too close.  
A knock at his door brings him out of his stupor. It’s Amycus, holding his equipment.  
“Dream… May I come in?” He asks, and Dream steps to the side to let the man in.  
“I have your things here.. But I wanted to speak with you about tonight. If it’s at all too much I can step in and send the four of you back here, alright?”  
Dream furrows his brows. Was Amycus doubting him? After everything that they’ve been through over this past month?  
“I’m not doubting you, Dream… It’s just in case. I know this is a lot to take on, especially after only a month of training. I just want you to know that I’ll be right there.”  
Dream thinks about it for a moment and nods. It does make sense, considering he still sometimes gets nightmares about what happened.  
“Okay. Thank you, master.” Amycus smiles warmly at him.  
“Between you and me, boy, when we’re alone just call me Amycus. The “master” is just formal for training.”   
Dream smiles and nods.  
“Now. As for your weapon… I had this specially made for you. It’s an iron sword, I know you prefer axes, but this will provide you with a little more agility and attack power.” Amycus pulls the blade from its sheath, and Dream is in awe.   
The blade is a polished silver color, glinting in the light of the sun coming through the window. The hilt is wrapped with interwoven leather strips that had been dyed green, providing for better grip, and the pommel is crafted with a celtic knot pressed into it.  
“Amycus, this… This is beautiful.” He gently takes the blade in his hands, admiring the detail.  
“This is your first blade. It had to be special in some way, even if it’s simple.” Amycus grins and crosses his arms. “Take care of that blade and it’ll last you a long time.”  
“Thank you.” Dream looks up at him, holding the sword close to him.   
Amycus nods. “The armor is standard, just like everyone else. I would suggest practicing moving while you have it on before we head out tonight.”  
They talk for a few more minutes before Amycus leaves to prepare things like extra potions and such, just in case one of them gets hurt.  
“Alright, let’s see what this armor feels like.” 

Dream stands in front of his friends, Amycus at his side. His sword is in its sheath on his hip and his armor is on snug and secure. He’s ready.  
The last few rays of sunlight disappear over the horizon and the world around them is plunged into darkness. Amycus lights a torch and passes it to Dream, who takes it with a firm grip.   
“Are you ready?” Amycus turns to him, and the reality hits Dream like a slap to the face. He’s about to face monsters on his own for the first time since he was only five years old. The very same type that killed his family and destroyed everything he cared about.   
“... Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready.”  
He takes his first steps into the field.


	6. Strength in Numbers

The torch in his hand lights up quite a bit of space around Dream. In the center of the field there’s a holder, so he makes his way towards it. He’ll have to put the torch down if he wants to fight with both hands.  
All around him he can hear the sounds of monsters beginning to creep out. Spiders hissing and scuttling along the ground, skeleton bones rattling, zombie groans… All of it.  
Dream makes it to the holder and places the torch inside, unsheathing his sword. He’s tense, his muscles taut in anticipation. Whatever comes at him first.   
For one horrible moment, everything around him is dead silent. The darkness is suffocating, the humidity in the air not helping at all with the atmosphere. The smell of rotting flesh slowly permeates the air and Dream freezes when it reaches him. It’s the same smell that drifted down the hall when his mother tripped and fell, little Clay wrapped up in her arms.   
And just like that a zombie comes into his vision, illuminated by the torchlight. Its features are just barely recognizable, its skin rotted away enough to expose the bones to the open air. Maggots curl and twist in what little skin it has left, slowly eating away at it. A groan rips its way from the thing’s gnarled throat and Dream snaps out of his stupor, bringing his sword in front of him. He can do this. He has to.  
He approaches the zombie, taking a swipe at it with his blade. It cuts clean through its skin, leaving a gaping wound. The zombie becomes agitated, throwing its arm up towards Dream’s face. He narrowly dodges, and his fight instincts finally kick in. He takes a well-aimed swing and his sword cuts straight through the zombie’s neck, the bone weak enough to be broken. Its head falls to the ground first, its body crumpling soon after it. It’s dead, for good.  
Dream feels an odd sense of bittersweetness in the moment. He’s taken his first steps into reclaiming his life… And yet he knows he can never have back what he lost, no matter how many zombies he kills.  
He hears a hiss from behind him and turns to face the spider, quickly striking down. It’s dead within seconds, and now all Dream feels is anger. It’s this easy to kill monsters and his father couldn’t do it?  
Within moments he’s surrounded by the husks of what used to be monsters, spider eyes, string, rotten flesh, and bones surrounding him. Not a single one of them stood a chance.  
He hears the sound of footsteps from his right and turns to find his friends approaching with their own torches. He feels the tension leave his body. That’s right. He’s not alone here. He has his friends with him, and he always will.   
“Hey, guys.”   
George rushes forward at him and yanks him down to eye level, holding his face.  
“Dream… Why are you crying?” He hadn’t realized it, but while he was out here on his own tears began streaming down his face, mixing with the rotten blood from some of the particularly messy zombies.   
“I… I guess I got caught up in my thoughts.” He pulls away and wipes at his face, sniffing. “Anyway, I’m glad you guys are here now… I realized I don’t like being alone.” He smiles.  
His friends return his grin and gather in close, turning so they’re back to back. Now the four of them have each other covered, nothing can sneak up on them.   
Amycus watches them from a tree post, pride blossoming in his chest. They’re really going to make a good team with the right time and dedication.

The Dream team fights together as a cohesive unit for the rest of the night, maneuvering around each other and taking out monster after monster. Nothing stood a chance against them, not when they were together like this. George by far takes out the most skeletons, what with his bow being a long-range weapon to match theirs. Dream, Sapnap and Bad are more focused on the zombies and spiders, as they’re more close range.  
By the time the sun rises, a considerable pile of loot has built up. Some monsters carried decent weapons and armor of their own, dropping them the moment they disintegrated. Some iron and chainmail helmets, some enchanted bows, a LOT of arrows for George, and quite a few potion ingredients such as spider eyes that Amycus could make use of.   
Dream takes a moment to really look around. Despite this only being their first outing, none of them have anything more than mere scratches coming out of it. The torches are almost burnt out, fading in the light of the sun. He looks toward the horizon and a smile pulls its way onto his face, an odd sense of pride filling his chest. They’d survived their first night fighting monsters.  
Amycus approaches from his spot in the treeline, a smile on his face. “Well done, all of you. Let’s head home, you four deserve a good meal and some rest. We won’t be training today.”   
The four of them deflate in unison, relieved that they wouldn’t have to continue training after being up all night in the field. Amycus laughs and turns toward the village, Sapnap, George and Bad following.  
Dream hesitates a moment, taking just a second to look around again. Whatever monsters they hadn’t killed either quickly disintegrated in the sunlight or retreated into the woods. A few stray spiders lurked around, but they were known to be docile during the day.  
He smiles and turns to follow his friends.  
A low hissing sound from behind him sends a chill up his spine. His chest constricts and fear pools in his gut. He sees George turn to look at him and his brown eyes widen.  
“DREAM-!!”   
The others turn, there’s the sound of gunpowder being lit…  
Then there’s nothing.


	7. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far! Please, if you have any feedback, leave it in the comments for me <3 Happy reading!

When he comes to, Dream is laid up in the infirmary, lying face down on the bed. That’s the first thing he notices. The next thing he notices is the searing pain in his back when he tries to move. Then he remembers.   
“Dream!” A familiar voice breaks the silence in the room. Dream turns his head to find all of his friends sitting right there in the room with him. They had bandages too, small patches to help with healing the cuts they’d received in last night’s battle. He gives them all a pained smile. “Hey, guys.”  
All of them move to the edge of the bed, taking their seats next to him so they could speak to him easier.  
“How are you feeling?” Bad asks, worry creasing his features.   
“It fuckin’ hurts.” Bad doesn’t even bother scolding him. “How long was I out?”  
“Only a couple hours, thanks to the healers… They pretty much marinated you in health and absorption potions.” Sapnap gently pats his head. “You smell like a mixture of gunpowder and nether wart.”  
Dream snorts, shaking his head. “Gee thanks Sap, definitely didn’t need that.” He smiles. “Help me sit up?”  
“Not yet.” Amycus stands in the doorway, another healer behind him. “We need to check the wound before you try to move around and make it worse.”  
Dream nods and lies still as the two of them come over to check him.   
“You’re lucky you’re not dead. That armor you had on took most of the blast, but you didn’t come out completely unscathed.” Amycus slowly peels back the medicinal wrap they’d laid over his back, Dream gritting his teeth as the wound is exposed to the open air.  
“It’s healed quite a bit thanks to the healers. It’s not infected and it won’t take long for the healing process to finish, but you must take care of it. No running around climbing trees or anything too physically demanding for another week. Have one of your friends apply this lotion to it once a day.” The healer holds up a glass jar full of what looked to be moisturizer. “With burn wounds it’s important to keep them moisturized so the skin stays healthy.”  
Dream looks to his friends. “Well? Who wants to rub me down every morning?” He smirks and George snorts, smacking his forehead.   
“I’ll do it if you never say it like that again.” Dream laughs and nods.   
“You’ve got a deal.”  
“Alright boys. Dream, let’s get you sitting up.”   
It takes a moment, Dream hesitant to move with how much it hurts. Eventually though, they get him sitting up on the edge of the bed. “George, come here. I’ll show you how to apply it correctly.” Amycus states. George joins the old man behind Dream, listening to his instruction.   
“You really are a lucky bastard, you know that? Not everyone can survive a creeper blowing up less than ten feet away from them.” Sapnap smirks, crossing his arms. “My best friend is a badass.”  
Bad mutters a small “language” under his breath, but Dream could tell he agreed.  
“Dream, we’re going to start putting on the lotion, okay?” Amycus warns, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Dream nods and grips the edge of the bed, anticipating the sting.  
Surprisingly, it doesn’t come. George’s hands on his back are warm, and the moisturizer is smooth. He almost melts into the relief he feels, all of his muscles losing whatever tension they carried. Sapnap snickers at this and Bad smacks his arm, but Dream can tell he wants to laugh too.  
“You okay up in la-la land, Dream?” Bad smiles, raising a brow. Dream snorts.  
“Do you want to switch places with me Bad? I can go find another creeper and make that happen.”   
The three of them laugh just a bit at the banter. Dream finds himself not at all minding the jokes like he used to. Whenever they used to joke about the monsters he would always go silent or back out of the conversation. Now that he’s experienced how easy it is to kill one… Even though he ended up hurt in the end, Dream can’t help but feel that he’s finally in on the joke.   
George finishes applying the lotion, which Dream learns has a numbing effect in it, and helps Dream get back into a shirt.   
“Feel a little better?” George asks, a smile on his face. Dream nods and leans back on his hands.  
“Careful, I might get addicted to your massages and you won’t be allowed to leave.”  
George laughs and shakes his head. “I wouldn’t mind that.”   
The air in the room is light and relaxed, reflecting how Dream feels. He may have a large wound on his back that will definitely scar, but in this moment he couldn’t care less.  
Then his stomach growls, and the room goes silent.  
“... What’s for breakfast?”

Once they’ve all eaten and Dream’s stomach is full and happy, the four musketeers head back to Dream’s house, heading up to the roof to get some good sun. It’s predicted to rain tomorrow, so they reckon they need to enjoy the sun while they can.   
They bring out the pillows and blankets and set them out to where they can lay across them all together like a giant mat. Dream ends up on his stomach sprawled across three different pillows, taking up all the space. George is laying across Dream’s legs with a book in hand, and Bad is taking up a corner of his own, sketching in a bullet journal. Sapnap is passed out on the side, snoring.  
They don’t bother really making an effort to speak, all of them just enjoying the silence. Dream finds himself drifting off, the warmth of the sun soaking into his back giving him a deep sense of relaxation. The moisturizer did what it was promised, numbing out the wound to the point where he can barely feel it. Before he can really slip off though, George shifts to come lay next to him instead.   
“Hey.” Dream grins at him. “Whatcha reading?”  
“The Paladin Prophecy. It’s about these kids who are taken to this super futuristic school and get caught up in all the dirty laundry. They all have some sort of supernatural ability.” He says, not even bothering to take his eyes off the page.   
“Sounds like a good book.” Dream lays his head back down, sighing.  
“Do you want me to read it out loud?” George asks, turning his head to look at him. Dream grins.  
“Sure.”  
He falls asleep to the sound of George’s voice, dozing in the sun.


	8. Continue

They return to training the next day. Well… George, Sapnap, and Bad do. Dream has to sit on the bench and do his best to study, since he’s not allowed to train yet. Instead of engaging with the other three, who are currently locked in a three-way spar, he sits off to the side and studies his maps and definitions. He hates it, but Amycus would have a fit if he caught Dream doing physical training.   
So he stays on the bench. He’s in the middle of tracing a path on his map when Bad approaches, panting and sweating.   
“Hey man, you good?” He asks, smiling. Dream nods and passes him a water bottle.  
“I’m alright. Just mad that I can’t get all sweaty.” He grins as Bad takes a large swig of water.  
“I figured.” His friend looks around, then leans in to Dream’s ear. “We can help you do some private training at night, once everyone’s asleep. Meet us here, and don’t get caught.” Bad plays the action off as putting down his water bottle and heads back into the clearing, leaving Dream looking forward to that night.

When night finally rolls around and he’s sure that Amycus is asleep, Dream sneaks out with George, who’s staying at his house to help him with his back. They make their way to the clearing, using their stealth training to their advantage and making little more than the barest rustle in the grass. Upon arrival, Sapnap and Bad are already waiting for them.  
“Alright we have to be careful, since this place isn’t protected like the village. Set up torches to keep them away, we’ll take them down once we’re finished here.” Bad says, digging around in his bag. He lights his torches and goes around the edge of the clearing, putting them up. The rest of them follow. Bad has grown to know monsters the best out of all of them, studying their behaviors in books and getting to know how they work. Apparently light keeps them away longer and puts them less at risk of getting attacked.  
Once all the torches are placed, they return to the center of the clearing.   
“Alright Dream. Here’s the deal. We’ll run you through some light physical training, just to keep you in shape and sharp. But we’re not full-on sparring, and you’re sure as hell not using a fully weighted sword.” Bad pulls out a hollow wooden sword and passes it to Dream. “We want to help you, but we’re not letting you hurt yourself either.”  
Dream nods and takes the sword. He’s grateful, really. It may not be the training that he’s accustomed to, but it’s more than what he would be doing if they hadn’t offered to help at all. “Sounds good. Who’s up first?”   
Sapnap smiles and crosses his arms. “Me. Today we just sparred, but I was focused on parries. I want you to do the same. No fighting back, your only goal is keeping yourself alive. If I touch your chest with the blade once, you’re ‘dead’, got it?”  
Dream nods again, taking his spot while Bad and George move to sit on the bench. George digs a small box out of his bag. Inside is healing salve, peroxide, bandages, and more of the lotion just in case they get hurt. There’s a lot of worry hidden in his eyes.  
Dream gives him a reassuring look, then turns his attention back to Sapnap. For a brief moment, he forgets he’s even wounded. It feels just like a normal sparring session between two teenagers.  
“Ready, Dream?” Sapnap gets in position to lunge and Dream plants his feet firmly in the dirt.  
“You bet.” He smirks, and Sapnap is on him, striking downward.  
Upon blocking, Dream can tell that there’s not nearly as much force behind Sapnap’s blows as there usually would be. He’s being careful.  
He pushes the man off of him and throws him off balance, moving to the side to keep him on his toes.  
Sapnap strikes at him again and again, and each time Dream either blocks with the flat of his blade or knocks his sword away with a counterstrike. It’s not long before both of them are sweating and their shoes and pants are coated in a thin layer of dust.   
The sound of monsters lurking just beyond the light’s reach is what eventually gets Dream to crack. A spider lunges from behind him and Bad is quick to call the spar, coming in with his iron sword and taking the thing out.  
“That’s the end of the first part of tonight’s training. The noise is attracting monsters, we can’t do any more if we want to stay safe.”   
Dream and Sapnap exchange looks, then grin and fist bump.   
“You did really well, for someone with a huge back injury.”  
“I can still kick your ass.”  
A muffled “LANGUAGE!” is heard from Bad’s direction.   
“So what’s next, if we’re not sparring?” Dream asks, moving to sit on the bench.   
“We’re gonna do yoga.” George stands, blocking him from sitting. “We should have started with it to get a good stretch, but Sapnap insisted on testing your limits first.”  
Dream raises a brow.  
“Yoga in the woods at night, surrounded by monsters on all sides. You’re kidding, right?”  
“No, I'm not. We’re all going to do yoga together. Dream, can you stretch your arms above your head?”   
Dream flushes in embarrassment. His back was sore enough that it restricted some of his movement… Especially in his shoulders.   
“... Okay maybe yoga is a good idea.”  
They spent the next half hour stretching and listening to the world around them. By the end of the session, Dream had gained back a little more flexibility in his back and shoulders.   
“Let me see your back, Dream. We don’t need that wound splitting.” Dream turns and lifts his shirt, exposing the wound that’s now starting to scab over. It’s completely intact, aside from a little pulling at the edges.  
“Good.”  
“Alright guys, let’s get back. We do have to actually get some sleep so master Amycus doesn’t get suspicious.” Bad speaks up. “Go grab the torches and we can head out.”

Upon returning to the village, everyone is still asleep. Amycus’ lights are still off  
They got away with it.


	9. Improvement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story's beginning to pick up... Are you ready? >:)

Their training continues like that for a few weeks, until Dream rejoins the day sessions. Turns out Amycus had known they were sneaking out the whole time, and now is pushing Dream harder than ever to succeed.   
Sapnap, Bad, and George are on the bench, studying their movements as Dream and Amycus circle each other. Dream has a sharp eye, so it’s easy to keep up with his movements visually.   
Physically is another story entirely. Amycus is fast, faster than any monster Dream has witnessed aside from maybe baby zombies. THOSE fuckers are fast.   
It’s been an hour since today’s training started, and Dream still hasn’t landed a single hit on Amycus. He’s reminded of their first day of training, him and all three of his friends going up against their master. None of them had managed to leave so much as a singular damaged skin cell on him.  
Dream lunges forward, watching Amycus for any sort of tell he may have.   
He finds what he’s looking for in his shoulders. Just before he shifts out of the way, his shoulders tense up just slightly. Dream acts fast, striking with his wooden sword.  
And to his surprise, he lands a hit. Amycus smirks.  
“Well done, Dream. You figured it out.” Both of them stand straight, Dream panting and covered in a sheen of sweat. “You pass today’s training. Go take a seat on the bench.”   
Dream nods and does as he’s told, grabbing his water bottle.   
Amycus cycles through his friends, all of them eventually returning to the bench covered in dirt and sweat. “Alright you four. The point of today’s exercise was to identify weaknesses in your enemy. It still took him an hour, but Dream figured it out. Dream, would you share your findings?”  
“I only realized it right after I’d started running at him. That split second where time seems to slow down, you have to utilize that to make your decision. Right after I started running, master Amycus tensed his shoulders and shifted, just barely. That’s how I managed to hit him.” Dream explains, running a hand through his hair.  
The other three look at him as though he’s insane.   
“Dude, how the hell can you see that? It’s still mostly a blur for me!” Sapnap exclaims, eyes wide. The other two seemed to be thinking the same.  
“There is one key difference between Dream and the three of you. Dream went through several life-threatening situations. You three have only been exposed to what I’ve shown you. Dream has had the time to develop and use these skills, whereas you three have not. That is why I am training you, so you can learn and hone these skills by the time you need to go.”

By the time the four of them turn 18, all of them have mastered these skills. George is an expert shot with his bow now. He may be colorblind, but that doesn’t stop him from hitting every one of his targets with lethal accuracy. He’s improved with potions and swordsmanship as well, holding his own against a horde with nothing but his armor and an iron blade.  
Bad is their resident monster expert. He took his studies to the next level with his training, getting hands-on experience dealing with all sorts of monsters and figuring out the best way to get rid of them. He’s saved their skins many times with his findings.  
Sapnap is their wayfinder. He’s good with a sword, of course, but his true niche lies with maps. Anytime they leave the village to head to a new training site it’s him taking notes on the way there and leading them back when the others (aside from Amycus, of course) are completely lost.   
And Dream? A well-rounded warrior. Proficient in nearly all types of combat and strong. His strength lies in his ability to anticipate his enemy’s movements, counterattacking before they even get the chance to attack in the first place.  
The four of them working as a team? Unstoppable.  
Dream blocks a head-on attack from Amycus, locking eyes with him. They’ve gotten to the point where they can spar one-on-one and Dream can hold his own for a while. But Dream has never beaten Amycus in a match.  
Amycus slides his grip and moves to strike, and Dream zeroes in on the action, taking his chance. In the blink of an eye, Amycus’ sword is on the ground, and Dream is standing with his sword to his master’s neck.  
Amycus gives him a warm smile. “You did it.”  
Dream blinks and pulls away, suddenly knocked out of his adrenaline rush. He what?  
“You’ve completed your training. I have nothing more to teach you.” Dream feels these words like a slap to the face. He did it?  
“I think you four are ready for your upgrades. Tonight we’ll celebrate your graduation.”  
Laughter and cheers are heard from his friends, and Dream turns to look. All of them have such joyous expressions. After two years of consistently gruelling training every day, they’ve graduated.  
Dream lets a small smile come to his face. The feeling in his chest is bittersweet. He’s grown used to seeing this clearing every day, seeing his friends improve, seeing himself improve. And now they’re finally ready to take on what they’ve been working toward this whole time? It doesn’t feel real.  
“Dream.” Amycus’ voice pulls him out of his thoughts. “I have something back at the village I’d like to give to you. A diamond sword. It was my weapon of choice back when I was still a village guard. I’d stumbled across the diamonds on accident actually, deep in a cave during a mining trip. That sword has been with me since I made it, and now I’d like to give it to you.”  
Dream has seen the sword Amycus is talking about. It’s hanging on the man’s wall, opposite his bed. A perfectly balanced diamond blade with the words “Memento Mori” engraved in the hilt. “Remember Death”.  
“I… I’d be happy to accept it.” Dream smiles, feeling tears come to his eyes. It’s almost like he’s saying goodbye.  
“Then let’s go! The sun will be going down soon, we need to get a big fire going in the square!” Amycus grins.  
A simultaneous cheer sounds from the four warriors as they begin to make their journey back to the village, playfully shoving each other. The mood is bright as the sun, almost like nothing could ever dampen it…

Until they see smoke over the horizon, and clouds darken the sky as a storm blows in from the east.


	10. Ignition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hurt him

They reach the brush on the outskirts of the village and are enveloped in a purple glow. Before them stands a large portal, lined in obsidian. The noises coming from it send a chill up Dream’s spine.  
Beyond the portal lies the village, up in flames. Hordes of what look to be some sort of cross between zombies and pig… Men… Things are attacking the villagers. He suddenly feels like that scared little kid again, unable to do anything but watch as his home is taken from him.  
“We have to get down there and help them!” Amycus shouts, face contorted in anger. “Use your training!”  
“But we don’t have any armor!” Bad cries, frantically searching the crowd for his folks.  
“There’s no time! We have to go, NOW!”  
That jerks Dream back into reality, sending him into a fit of anger.  
“Let’s go.” He leads the way into the village with Amycus at his side, drawing his blade. “George, go find somewhere you can use your bow that can be easily defended. Sapnap, Bad, I want you two to stick together and take the south side, don’t lose each other. You’ll need to watch each other’s backs here. I’ll stick with Amycus and take the north.” His friends break off from the group, leaving Dream and Amycus to deal with the majority of the damage towards the northern side of the village, where the portal is.  
They turn and are immediately faced with a blockade of pigmen (yeah, that’s what they’re called now). Dream drops into his fighting stance, his sword gleaming in the orange light of the fire. They will not take his family from him. Not again.  
A chorus of squeals cut through the night as the pigmen rush him, gold swords out and ready to strike. Amycus moves to counterattack, leading half of the group towards him. Dream takes the brunt of the attack, meeting their swords with his own. All around him people are screaming, running for the field with torches. They’d rather take their chances there with fewer, more normal monsters than stay here where they’ll die for sure. Dream spots Bad’s family making a run for it, Sapnap’s not too far away. At least they’ll be safe.  
He twists out of the way of a golden sword, slicing right through the skin of the thing that brought it down upon him. Their numbers are thinning. Dream can see several corpses on the ground with arrows sticking out of their heads or chests. George is doing his job, and he’s alive. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Sapnap and Bad back to back, fending off the pigmen together. Amycus is nowhere to be seen, but an uproar of distraught squeals from the west tells Dream exactly where he is.  
Suddenly, the ground beneath him begins to quake. Something new is here, something big.  
Dream turns his eyes to the portal and his eyes widen at what he sees. A massive mutated pigman, if you could even call it that, carrying a huge chained mace steps through the purple fog, drumming the mace against the ground.  
Dream is brought out of his shock by another golden sword coming at him. He makes quick work of it, disarming the assailant and delivering a fatal blow to its head. Out of nowhere, Amycus appears, holding nothing. He seems to be relying on purely hand-to-hand combat, once again surprising Dream with his skill.  
Amycus lifts a rock and throws it at the giant, successfully pulling its attention.  
“Dream, keep up with the pigmen, I’ll take the big one!” He shouts, running off. The giant follows after the old man, swinging his mace. The houses around him are nothing more than thin walls that can be broken down.  
“Dream!” George calls from above. Dream turns his attention up to him for a moment. “I’ve got your six, head to Sapnap and Bad! They need your help!” Dream nods and begins running toward where he last saw his friends. He hears angered squeals pick up behind him as George takes his shots, bringing them down.  
He finds Sapnap backed up against a wall, barely holding his own against a group of pigmen keeping him in that corner. Bad is nowhere to be seen.  
Dream comes at the pigmen from behind, his sword cutting through them almost like butter. Sapnap heaves a sigh of relief when he sees him.  
“Dream, thank god you’re here. Bad’s stuck, one of the houses collapsed and caught him.”  
“Let’s go get him. There aren’t as many pigmen now, we can take the time to get him out and safe.” Sapnap nods and leads him to the house Bad is trapped under. His head and shoulders are the only part of him visible, everything else is stuck under the rubble. His sword has been knocked away from him.  
For one horrible moment, Dream wonders if Bad is dead. Then Sapnap speaks up.  
“Bad, it’s us. We’re getting you out of here.” Bad opens his eyes, which are filled with tears. “Please, it hurts so bad.”  
Dream shakes off the shock and helps Sapnap shift the rubble, freeing Bad. He seems to have escaped with only a hurt leg.  
“Bad, I saw your family heading towards the field. Sapnap, can you get him there? I can handle the rest of these guys with George and master Amycus.”  
The both of them nod and set out toward the field, Sapnap picking up Bad’s sword and dual-wielding to help keep him safe.  
And so the fight continues. The pigmen’s numbers continue to thin. Dream and George are working together from afar, taking out as many as they can while Amycus handles the Big Bad. Dream can’t help but be concerned though. He expected Amycus to come out within five minutes… It’s been half an hour, judging by the moon’s position.  
Dream slashes through yet another pigman, and an earth-shattering crack pulls his attention towards the portal.  
His world freezes. Amycus is right there, the mutant pigman standing above him with his mace raised. Dream can’t force himself to look away.  
The mace comes down. Blood is spattered across the ground. Dream hears screaming and he can’t tell where it’s coming from. All he sees is red.  
His body moves before he can think, his sword tearing through body after body as he rushes toward the mutant. He leaps onto his back, sinking his blade into its shoulder and causing it to fall forward. Half of its body now lays inside the portal and it’s unable to move. Dream seizes the moment and knocks the bricks out of place with his sword, breaking the connection and severing the mutant’s body at the waist. The world around him is plunged into darkness as rain begins to fall, watering down the fires.  
He drops his sword and rushes to his master’s side, frantically inspecting him.  
“Hey… Hey get up, we won..! Amycus…” He feels how raw his throat is as he tries to speak. To wake him up. Anything.  
There is no response. He’s gone.  
Dream takes the man’s still warm face into his hands and presses their foreheads together, gritting his teeth as tears begin flowing down his face. This isn’t how this was supposed to go. He wasn’t supposed to die. Tonight was supposed to be happy.  
He throws his head back and lets out a blood-curdling scream, pulling at his hair.  
He doesn’t care who hears.


	11. Mourning

Dream feels nothing. His throat is raw from screaming and his body carries more than a few cuts and bruises, but he can’t feel any of it.  
The first person to reach Dream after he found the body was George, who’d quickly pulled him into a tight hug. He’d buried his face into the other man’s shoulder and cried for what seemed like hours.  
Now there weren’t any tears left. The funeral procession continues its march toward the river, rain continuing to pelt down on them. Some of the villagers are singing, a song that’s eerily familiar to Dream.  
He can’t bring himself to sing along.  
They lower Amycus into the river on his wooden float, gently pushing him off. His body floats downstream and Dream knocks an arrow in his bow. One of the other villagers lights the head of the arrow and he pulls it back, aiming for the raft.  
“Goodbye…” He mutters, letting go.  
The arrow flies true, planting itself in the wood and lighting the raft ablaze. More arrows join his as he lowers his arms, watching the raft burn on the water.  
He feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to his friends, letting them wrap their arms around him. It didn’t feel real, before now. Before now it felt like he would wake up at dawn with the rest of his friends and go to training like normal. Like he could walk across the path and find Amycus in the library, reading up on maps.  
But he can’t.

The days following the funeral are miserable. Dream doesn’t want to leave his bed, doesn’t want to train, doesn’t want to eat. His friends force him to, which he’s grateful for, but everything inside him hurts. He wonders what he could have done differently as a leader.  
“Dream?” A soft voice cuts through the quiet in his room. It’s George, checking up on him again. He’s carrying two bowls of beetroot stew.  
“I brought dinner… I was thinking we could eat together, today?” The man has a hopeful gleam in his eye. Every day he’s asked to eat together, and every day Dream has denied him.  
“Yeah… Yeah, okay.” He sits up in bed, letting his legs hang over the side.  
George gives him a relieved smile and enters, his shoulders visibly relaxing. He gives Dream a bowl and pulls up a chair.  
The pair of them eat together. It’s quiet, but comfortable. Dream is hit with the sudden realization that he’s missed George. A lot, actually. He’s missed all of his friends… They haven’t spent any real time together since the funeral.  
“How are you holding up?” Dream asks. His friends may not have been as close to Amycus as he was, but he was still their master for two full years.  
“I’m okay… So are Sapnap and Bad. It’s hard after getting used to the routine, but we’re managing… How are you? Any better?” George puts down his bowl.  
“I’m… Still really messed up. He was like an uncle to me, you know. He took me in when I lost everything.” Dream plays with his fingers, rubbing them.  
George reaches over and takes his hands. “You still have us.” He offers a small smile.  
Dream feels the weight lift off his chest for the first time since the battle.

Another week passes before Dream finally has enough strength to pull himself out of bed for something other than food or training. His friends invited him out to a bonfire they’re having in the old clearing, to relive some of their good memories with Amycus and each other during their training.  
Maybe this will be good for him.  
Upon arriving, his friends are already there, laughing as they set up camp. He steps on a twig, catching their attention with the noise.  
“Dream, you came!” Bad smiles, dumping the rest of his logs. Both him and Sapnap run to him, attacking him with hugs on both sides. Dream is almost knocked off balance from the force, the breath leaving his lungs.  
“Uh, guys- Can’t breathe-” Both of them immediately let go and he sighs, grinning. “It’s good to see you guys too. I needed the time alone but I missed you dorks.”  
“Did you bring your sleeping bag? We’re staying the night out here.” Sapnap says, gesturing to their little campsite. Dream nods, patting his bag.  
“I did… Are s’mores in the plan?” He asks.  
“DUH!”

Day turns to night very quickly in the woods. The four of them are gathered around the fire now, the air is light and happy. Above them, the stars light up the sky, giving them plenty of canvas space for tracing designs. Dream listens to his friends tell stories, mapping out the constellations above them in his mind. There’s Ursa Major and Minor, Leo, Cepheus, and more that he can’t even remember the stories of.  
He turns his attention back to the stick in his hand and pulls it away from the fire, the marshmallow on the end a perfect golden-brown. He doesn’t even bother putting the whole s’more together, eating the toasted marshmallow right off the stick.  
“Dream, you heathen, you’re supposed to build a s’more!” Bad cries, appalled. Dream laughs, covering his mouth with his hand so he doesn’t spew melted marshmallow everywhere. “Shu up Bad, I do wha I wan!”  
The muffled speech has Sapnap and George cracking up on either side of him. He tries to hold back his laughter and fails miserably, some of the marshmallow dripping out over his chin.  
“DREAM, you’re DISGUSTING!” George shrieks, scooting away.  
“Gogy, kith me!” Dream moves to follow him, now letting the marshmallow drip on purpose just to gross him out.  
“NO, get away from me!”  
This continues for a few minutes before Dream finally swallows the marshmallow, all four of them laughing. It feels like they’re sixteen again, all of them just messing around without a care in the world.  
“NEVER do that again, you’re gross.” George huffs, brushing the sand off his clothes.  
“Awh come on Gogy, you know you love me!” Dream pouts.  
George gives him a smirk. “In your dreams.”  
“Alright lovebirds we get it, you’re flirting! Keep your grossness to yourselves!” Bad calls, smirking.  
Dream very quickly pulls away, his face flushing pink.  
The night continues, the four of them bedding down around midnight.  
“... Hey guys?” Dream speaks up, staring at the sky.  
“Yeah, Dream?” Sapnap is the one who answers him.  
“... I think I’m ready to go.”  
Silence falls over them like a blanket. The only thing that can be heard is the crackling of the fire and the shuffling of small animals in the bushes. They know he doesn’t mean back to the village.  
“Are you sure? This is a huge thing, Dream… If you’re not ready-”  
“I’m ready.” Dream turns to George, cutting him off. This is the first moment of clarity he’s had since the attack on their village. “I’m not going to sit back and keep twiddling my thumbs while the person responsible for this continues to sit all high and mighty on his throne… But I need you guys to come with me. I can’t do it alone.” He turns his eyes back to the sky and takes a deep breath. He can tell the others are thinking, weighing their options.

“Alright. We’re in. When do we leave?”


	12. Chapter 12

They spend the entirety of the next week preparing for their journey. The blacksmiths forge brand new armor for them and the farmers tack up their best horses fit for the trek.  
Dream stands before Amycus’ library, which hasn’t been touched since it was fixed up. He takes a deep breath and enters, suddenly hit with nostalgia. Amycus’ green armchair still sits in the corner, the sun hitting it just right through the window. He remembers the day Amycus brought him in, sitting him down on that chair and having him eat a bowl of soup. He smiles at the memory and moves on, making his way to the old man’s room.   
There, framed above his bed, is Amycus’ diamond sword. Hanging off the frame is what looks to be an enchanted mask, made from iron and engraved with a smiley face. He picks it up and turns it over to find a note in the back.  
‘Dream. If you’re reading this then the likelihood that I’ve died is high… And I’m sorry I can’t be there to give these to you in person. I told you about the sword in the clearing, but not the mask. This is an iron mask meant to be worn when you face off against your enemies. It’s enchanted so you can see through it, but those on the outside can’t see your face. It’s also made with the highest rank of protection, so it has the same effect as a standard iron helmet. Wear it proudly, Dream. You’ve earned it. In the chest there are enchanted arrows for George, the different colors are different potion effects. There are also enchanted armor pieces for Bad and Sapnap. Take these on your journey, you’ll need them.  
I’m out of time. Remember where you came from, Dream. I love you.’  
Dream doesn’t realize he’s crying until a tear drips onto the page. He saw Amycus as a sort of father figure, to have this… It’s a lot. He takes the mask and slides it over his head, positioning it so it lays over the right side of his face. He can indeed see through it, almost as if it’s not there. He takes the sword down from the item frame, feeling its weight in his hand. It feels natural to carry it, feeling the grip mould to his fingers.  
“Thanks, Amycus.” He smiles and leaves the library, finding his friends waiting outside. “Hey guys.”  
“Hey… Woah, cool mask.” Dream smiles, adjusting it slightly.  
“Amycus left it for me… He also left a few things for you all. There’s a chest inside, look inside. Then we have to get going.”  
They nod and the three of them go in, leaving Dream outside. He takes another look at the sword. On one side of the hilt is the phrase he remembers, “Memento Mori”. But on the other side something different is there. “Memento Vivere”. Dream takes the meaning to heart and sheaths the sword, suddenly having a new outlook on life.   
He must remember to live fully.  
His friends come out with their gear. Bad has an enchanted iron chestplate, giving him some extra projectile and blast protection (since he works with monsters). Sapnap has an enchanted helm and a pair of boots, making him less likely to take damage from falling. Plus with the helmet anything that hits him will be hurt in turn. George now carries a quiver of enchanted arrows, each armed with a different potion effect. They’re ready.

Night falls over the village as everyone gathers around the bonfire in celebration. The Dream Team is finally setting out what they’ve been training every day to do for two years, they’re finally ready to set out into the world.   
Dream can’t help but feel a bit bittersweet. This has been his home for the past thirteen years, these people took him in when he had nowhere to go, and now he’s leaving with no idea of when they’ll return. Or if they’ll return at all. What if, at the end of this, they don’t end up making it out alive? What if they fail? What’ll happen then?  
A familiar hand on his shoulder takes all of those worries and tosses them out the window. Sapnap.  
“You’ve got worry written all over your face, Dream.” He smiles. “We’ll be fine… We’re the Dream Team, how could we not be?”   
Dream lets out a small laugh and nods. “Right… I guess I’m just nervous. What if we fail? What happens to the world if we do?”  
“We’re not going to fail.” Sapnap squeezes his shoulder. “There’s no way in hell. As long as we all have each other we’ll be fine.”  
Dream heaves a big sigh and straightens up. Sapnap is right, there’s no reason to be afraid. “Thanks, Sapnap.”  
“Anytime man, that’s what I’m here for. Now are you gonna come party or are you gonna keep being a stick in the mud?” He laughs and runs back into the fray, leaving Dream on the sidelines.  
It’s their last night. Dream figures he has to at least celebrate.  
He joins his friends in the festivities.

The sun is just barely over the horizon when the four of them get to the stables. Their horses are standing right there, tacked up and ready. All of them have saddlebags full of rations to support them for the first few weeks of their journey, and behind all of their saddles sit bedrolls and blankets for the horses. Dream walks right up to a beautiful white arabian, placing his hand gently on his muzzle.   
“Hey boy. We’re in for a long ride… You ready?” He rubs his other hand down the horse’s neck as it gives a soft nicker in response. He moves to the side and hooks his foot in the stirrup, lifting himself up and sliding easily into the saddle.   
The others have mounted up as well, all of them ready to go.  
“Let’s ride.”


End file.
